Homeless people in California were found living in a cave along the Tuolumne River and removed by Modesto police and volunteers over the weekend.
Officials say Operation 9-2-99 volunteers and the Tuolumne River Trust worked with police to clear and remove approximately 7,600 pounds of trash from the area.
“This area is plagued by vagrants and illegal camps, and concerns are heightened by the fact that these camps were actually caves dug into the riverbank,” the Modesto Police Department said in a statement.
Police added that the removed debris filled two truckloads and a trailer.
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On January 23, 2024, volunteers from Operation 2-9-99 and the Modesto Police Department participated in a joint cleanup along the Tuolumne River in Modesto, California. (Modesto Police Department)
The ministry said that prior to the cleanup, people living in the cave and nearby homeless camps were briefed about the operation and informed about support services.
The caves were located about 6 meters below road level, and some were fully furnished, indicating that the vagrants had lived there for some time. Items found inside included bedding, belongings, food, items placed on a makeshift mantel, drugs and weapons, local news station KOVR reported.
Chris Guptill, coordinator of the February 9, 1999 operation, told KOVR, “I don't understand how they got so much supplies out there, considering how difficult it was to get it up the hill and out.'' I had a hard time doing it,” he said.
Guptill was one of many volunteers who took part in the cleanup. He said his group discovered a total of eight caves, but this was not the first time they had been occupied.
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On January 23, 2024, homeless people were discovered living in a cave like the one pictured here along the Tuolumne River in Modesto, California. (Modesto Police Department)
“We don't really know the solution as to how to deal with this,” Guptill told KOVR.
Tracy Rojas, a Modesto resident who lives near the cave, said it's dangerous for people to set up homes underground.
“If one of these collapsed, it would be catastrophic,” she told KOVR. “This is all going to fall and fall into the water.”
California has a growing homelessness crisis.
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Tarps and trash from homeless people camped along the Tuolumne River on January 23, 2024 in Modesto, California. (Modesto Police Department)
The city of Los Angeles, about 300 miles south of Modesto, recently began recruiting up to 6,000 volunteers to help count the homeless.
of Los Angeles The street count, led by the Department of Homeless Services, will support the county's efforts to tackle the homelessness crisis that has paralyzed the city, with tens of thousands of people living on the streets, in cars, tents and makeshift street shelters. These temporary housing units are mushrooming on sidewalks, parks, and other community areas.
The so-called “point in time” count aims to estimate how many people are experiencing homelessness and what financial and medical services they need for underlying mental health conditions or drug addiction. I am.
The tally comes amid growing frustration among Californians over lawmakers' inability to stop the country's homeless population from surging. Since 2015, homelessness has increased by 70% in Los Angeles County and 80% in the City of Los Angeles.
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In 2023, officials reported more than 75,500 people were homeless per night in Los Angeles County, an increase of 9% from the previous year, to about 46,200 people in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement, “Homelessness is an emergency, and confronting this emergency requires all of us to work together.” “It's a tool.”
Fox News Digital’s Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
